This week I got a letter in my mailbox. A paper letter! Sent with a stamp! It was from a Jehovah’s Witness who wrote to share an “encouraging thought” with me from the Bible. It was Psalm 37:29: “The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live foerver on it.” The author invited me to participate in a Bible study course.
I threw up in my mouth a little bit and realized that I would SO MUCH RATHER live in a nation of rational people than a nation of righteous people. Don’t get me wrong — there is some overlap between the rational and the righteous, but not at the highest levels of government anymore, nor among the sort of people who send letters to your house to invite you to study the Bible. They’re just a bunch of gullible haters making “Christian” a bad word.
I wrote her back.
Dear [name],
I received your kind letter this week regarding the Bible course that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are offering. I wanted to wish you well in studying the Bible, and my sincerest hope that you will read the Sermon on the Mount, with its words about caring for the poor, sick, and needy, and that you will repent of the sins for which Christ will send you to hell.
As Jesus said, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’”
You and other Christians will burn in eternal hellfire for the acts of this Godless government in persecuting immigrants (the ‘stranger’) and letting the poor go hungry and naked so that billionaires can have more money (Trump’s tax cuts).
I write this letter to you on the day that most of the top scientists at the CDC quit because of RFK Jr’s anti-science, anti-vaccine policies. People will die because of your beloved President. Jesus Christ, who spent so much time healing the sick, will surely condemn you and everyone you love to even hotter fires of hell for destroying America’s public health infrastructure. Every child who dies of measles is your responsibility. Every person who dies of covid is your fault. Jesus will weep for them, but you will be cast aside to suffer for all eternity and You Will Deserve It.
No one who has actually read the Bible can be pro-life either, lest you think the abortion ban is worth all the rest of the suffering caused by your vile religion. The only thing Jesus ever said to a pregnant woman is “sucks to be you” (How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Matthew 24:19). God genuinely does not care if a fetus dies before being born. The only scripture in the entire Bible about the death of a fetus is this one: “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. Exodus 21:22.” That’s it. If a man beats a pregnant woman so badly that she miscarries, then he might pay a fine and that’s all.
Your religion has done immeasurable damage to the health and stability of the United States and I hope that, when Trump dies and the Christofascists are kicked to the curb, it marks the beginning of the end of Christianity in America.
I hope you learn from your precious Bible just how much you and your co-religionists have horrified Jesus with your evil politics.
Sincerely,
Janey
I printed it, signed it, put it in an envelope and mailed it back to her. Because most of the time I try to be calm, rational, and respectful. But sometimes you just gotta vent.
- Should people who believe in science start sending biology majors door to door to try and convert the “saved through the blood of Jesus” crowd?
- If, say, Canada wants to send a Doctors Without Borders team into the USA to offer free vaccines, do you think the Trump administration will let them come?
- Remember when America used to send people and money to help provide clean water to rural African villages? Do you think Africa will return the favor someday?
Wheat & Tares 
That seems a rather harsh letter to write to a Jehovah’s Witness, of all people. JW’s aren’t supposed to run for office, or even vote. Is every Christian in the US equally culpable for the wrongs of the current administration?
Yeah, I certainly feel the same rage towards supporters of this awful regime, but I don’t know that it’s accurate to assume all Jehovah’s Witnesses specifically or all Christians generally are in that category. However, I do think you can assume they won’t bother you again.
Seems kind of harsh, Janey, based on their scripture quote alone. That sermon also mentions blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Not too far off from their scripture if you consider the meek to be some of the most righteous people.
JWs don’t seem to be influencing government policy, at all. If anything, they seem to be anti-government in general. They don’t salute or pledge allegiance to the flag, celebrate national holidays (or religious holidays), or promote the idea of borders or securing borders. They do forbid blood transfusion (so no surgery) and practice shunning of people/family members who leave their church. I’m no fan of the JWs. But I think you mean White Christian Nationalist groups who are influential in Evangelical churches (Southern Baptist, non-denominational, Pentecostal, etc.). They seem to be the real offenders. They have heavy influence on policy in the world of Trump. They are the anti-vaccine conspiracy nuts, radical pro-lifers (no exception for rape or incest even), and a small group of them are even white supremacist. A community in Arkansas is setting up a housing community that is whites only, under the assumption that in Trump’s America this will fly. These nutjobs are also hugely Zionist and are one of the main reasons for the US’s unquestioning, no-strings-attached military support for Israel and its genocide in Gaza. If we are to talk of evil wolves in sheep’s clothing who draw close to Jesus with their lips but whose hearts are far from him, it’s the right-wing evangelicals. A poison not only to the US but much of the world.
Aw damn. I screwed up.
Okay, so let’s talk about Dave W’s question instead. He said: “Is every Christian in the US equally culpable for the wrongs of the current administration?”
I would say every Christian is not “equally” culpable. But … here’s a comparison. After 9/11 when the USA exploded with anti-Islamic prejudice, there was also pushback about how Islam is a peaceful religion and it’s only a tiny, radical fringe that become terrorists. I secretly thought that the peaceful Muslims needed to be a lot louder in condemning the terrorism. I believed Islam is a peaceful religion, the same way Christianity is a peaceful religion (at the time, I thought the closest Christian group to terrorism was the KKK), but that those peaceful people needed to say it loudly and often that terrorism is not part of their religion. Was this still a way of blaming Muslims? Probably. I’m not saying that my expectations were correct, just that those were my expectations. Now that our country is in the grip of radical Christians who are wreaking destruction, what responsibility (if any) do peaceful and loving Christians have to stand up and say “that’s not my religion.”
Bishop Mariann Buddie, at Trump’s inauguration, pleaded for mercy for the people who were scared of the coming Trump presidency. She spoke up, and has gotten death threats for it. I know of others who speak out against Trump, in the name of Jesus’s teachings. Even if there was a constant outcry, the media would likely not pay much attention. And it wouldn’t make any difference to the politicized Christians.
But if all that is necessary for evil men to triumph is for good men to stay silent and do nothing, are Christians who stay silent, stay on the sidelines, say nothing, and turn their backs on politics somehow complicit in what is going in the USA right now?
Um … yes.
(And I will admit that my encounter with a JW in a public library a couple years ago taints my feelings about JWs. Blogged about it here: https://wheatandtares.org/2023/01/13/my-missionary-experience-last-week/. They’re homophobes too. They may not be responsible for what’s going on in the USA the same why the Evangelicals are, but they probably approve of it. So yeah, they have some culpability.)
I remember an old legal adage that was used in the classic film “A Man for All Seasons” (1965). The adage was that “silence betokens consent.” Moral moderates have forgotten that adage to our own peril.
In such a politically adversarial time, many of the most moral have mistakenly retreated from public discourse in an effort to encourage some semblance of peace. What a flawed idea! The result is that our country and the public square has turned into an echo chamber for the political extremism. I will grant that what has been instigated by the current administration has stunned many of us and caused us to fear retribution from persons in our community and fear for the future of our nation.
It is time that we thoughtfully, rationally and carefully call out the wrongs and excesses around us. It will take extreme effort and sacrifice to do so. But real peace will be restored only when graciousness, understanding and kindness are restored as norms of behavior.
The problem of are JWs part of the violent Christian Nationalists or not aside, do Christians have a responsibility to stand up to hatred? Theoretically yes, but sometimes it just isn’t practical or safe. This problem of not speaking up is problematic. I think we can look back to WWII to how the Mormons wanted to lay low and not antagonize Hitler and how they excommunicated Helmut Hubner (spelling?) for standing against evil. Just how much do we risk to stand up for others?
I think Christians right now need to stand up and tell these jerks with their very unChristlike behavior that they are the very people Christ would have condemned. But, gee, who wants to get punched in the face? You go first and if you get punched, I’ll help you run away.
I got into a real fight on line once, some discussion board where they said that anyone not flying a pride flag is not an alley. Wait! What? Supporting my daughter and her wife is not being an alley UNLESS I also fly a flag saying I am a proud supporter? And where I live, no one would ever talk to me if I had the pride flag on my house. But I can talk to them and be friendly and then when conversation gets around to children, I mention my daughter and her wife and because they know I am a nice person, they are more likely to listen. Once they listen, they are more likely to change how they think. That didn’t convince the gay alleys who wanted to punch my Trump supporting neighbors in the face. But I still think it is the best way to change minds. We just don’t convince them that LGBT are their friends and neighbors unless we are willing to be their friends and neighbors, but yeah, it is easier and more satisfying to punch them.
So, I don’t know. When do you stand up and fight and when do you love people and try to teach instead of try to fight? Hard question.
I agree with all of the above.
But what I find the most offensive is watching my own (former) tribe of seemingly otherwise good people, in lockstep with White Christian Nationalism! One active Mormon member I know flies a Christian Nationalist flag above his 3 story house.
Yes, these people who swear by an inerrant Bible, but don’t actually read it, have ruined any good parts of Christianity.
In the meantime, LDS Q15 says Nothing, thus being complicit in all this morally bankrupt behavior!
Anon – I yearn for your comment to guide us all, but realistically, we’re way past the point when this is going to have any effect: “It is time that we thoughtfully, rationally and carefully call out the wrongs and excesses around us.”
Trump has dominated the political landscape for a decade now, and thoughtful, rational, and careful calls to be more gracious and polite have not put a dent in what political conservatives are willing to do in their cruelty, hatred, and bigotry. Something something some Republican saying the overthrow of the American govt will be bloodless if the Democrats let it be bloodless.
I am not a violent person. But we live in a world where Anna is genuinely and justifiably afraid to fly a pride flag. My pride flag got torn down and stolen not long ago. I dunno. I think writing an angry letter to a JW who tells me to read the Bible is just fine. What if Christians were as afraid to ask people to read the Bible as Anna is to fly a pride flag? The Christians, with their misogyny and homophobia, started all this. It was misogyny and homophobia that made them so vulnerable to billionaire propaganda. The Christians need to be the one to stand up and say, “we were wrong. If reproductive freedom and gay rights are the price of living in a democracy that values the rule of law, then we can accept that and we will stop trying to dismantle the country for the sake of banning abortion and terrorizing the gays.”
Mormons are nice. Nice isn’t the same as good.
I was curious because I know that JWs are 1) much more of a conservative cult than Mormonism involving total shunning for those who leave, 2) really have some bad ideas about blood transfusions that lead me to think they are soft-core anti-science, and 3) were specifically singled out and persecuted by the Nazi regime even before the Jews were. They were among the earliest sent to the Dachau concentration camp as “undesirables” in German society. They do not vote, and they seem pretty evenly split between those that think Trump will protect religious freedom (a high risk for this religion historically) and that he will turn on them and persecute them for being outside the Christian mainstream (they are certainly not aligned with the majority of his Christian nationalist supporters who see them as an enemy of Christianity). I mean, the Amish also traditionally have not voted, but stories (mostly based on some easily debunked numbers) said that they turned out to vote despite their normally low voting rates (~5% of Amish people actually vote–it’s not forbidden, but they aren’t interested in politics). Some were claiming they handed PA to Trump, but given the actual number of Amish people over 18 and the margin he won by, that’s just not possible.
But I do get the desire to lash out at conservative religious people in today’s climate. I was about 9-10 years old when I realized that I believed more in the separation of church & state than I did in religion. What did it for me? Moving between different parts of the country, some of which did not actually believe in the separation of church & state.
If JWs don’t take political stances maybe they should start. We don’t live in a vacuum and real people – our brothers and sisters – are hurting and dying.
I read the cited passage in Matthew 25 as applying more to individuals than to groups and to governments. While I think that the Lord can and does bless groups, when one gets down to it, I think that salvation is more of an individual affair. The OP talked about people going to hell because the JWs support the current administration (painting with a broad brush there, because there may well be many JWs who don’t support the current president; JWs may come in liberal and conservative colors just like Mormons and other Christians). The person whose government did these good things, but he or she did nothing other than pay taxes, did that person individually give meat to the hungry, or drink to the thirsty, or clothes to the naked, or visitation to the prisoner? Will that person be saved because of the good deeds of his government?
I think that governments can and should do much to relieve poverty, and we have made great strides in this country (think social security, which gives regular income to the elderly and disabled) and other programs. I’m not saying that welfare is not the realm of government, although many people think so. Some of those programs are in jeopardy, and illegal immigrants are particularly at risk. I wish this were not so, but I don’t think that everyone who voted for Trump is headed only to hell, do not pass go and do not collect $200. When one looks at the gospels, Jesus really had little to say about public policy or political matters; his calls to repent, to love one another, to do good, not to boast, etc., were for the greatest part addressed to individuals.
Helmut Huebener.
And nice Into the Woods reference (nice/=good).
On a podcast I listened to recently an atheist commentator said the problem with Christianity is that it’s not (very) christian, especially regarding politics. I have held a similar view for a while too, and my regard of religion in general has glne sour.
Saw this on a bumper in 2005: The Christian Right is Neither.
More true now than ever before.
Georgis, that’s a nice excuse to feel righteous about dismantling the social safety yet. “When one looks at the gospels, Jesus really had little to say about public policy or political matters; his calls to repent, to love one another, to do good, not to boast, etc., were for the greatest part addressed to individuals.”
I’m sure you know that the Jews weren’t really in charge of their own government at the time that Jesus lived. That might be why he didn’t go around preaching about public policy or political matters. However, I think anyone could realize that Jesus was very concerned about the poor, sick, immigrants (strangers), and the incarcerated.
Here, let’s restate Jesus’s teachings. Which one do you think Jesus was getting at?
First option: Jesus told people they had to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit those who were in jail because he knew that the people who could do those things needed to do them individually in order to go to heaven. His focus was on the eternal destiny of the individuals who would provide the food, medicine, shelter, and clothing to the poor and needy.
Second option: Jesus told people they had to take care of the poor and needy because he wanted the poor and needy to have their needs met. The important thing is that sick people are healed. The important thing is the hungry people get to eat food; naked people have clothes to wear. The people in jail are provided with a healthy place to learn and grown. The immigrants and strangers meet a caring and compassionate welcome.
What do you think? I think it’s the second option.
Something I’ve noticed about the way conservatives try to minimize government compassion in favor of individual compassion is that their (your) compassion is very selfish. It’s all focused on what you need to do to get to heaven. I do not care about your eternal destination. I care about the poor and needy having their needs met. Government does a much better job of providing consistent and helpful care than individuals can do. And no matter how much government does, there will still be individuals who need help from individuals. So take a meal into someone who just had surgery; but don’t vote against the government paying for the surgery.
“…but don’t vote against the government paying for the surgery.” Janey, I can’t remember that I have written anywhere that the government shouldn’t be paying for the surgery, and I’m not sure why you think that I “feel righteous about dismantling the social safety net.” I wrote nothing supporting Trump’s policies. I actually wrote that governments can and should do much to relieve poverty.
As for the Romans controlling the government, that might not be exactly true. Herod Antipas reigned in Galilee and in Perea in Jesus’ day very much as a king, even exercising power of life and death which Roman governors retained to themselves in areas that they directly controlled. Herod collected taxes, made laws, and enforced justice, all with little Roman intrusion, so long as trade flowed and people were not up in arms. Most of Jesus’ ministry was in Herod Antipas’ lands, not in Pilate’s Judaea. As for Judaea, which Pilate ruled from Caesarea, we know that Romans used existing institutions to manage local populations, particularly in the eastern portion and during the first century or two of the empire, and the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem functioned in governing the province in Jesus’ time. Movies that show Roman soldiers standing on every street corner like policemen probably overstate the Roman presence.
As for your two options, I agree that your second one delivers more, and thanks for asking. I think some private organizations can do good, and I give to a couple in workplace donations. I think that the verses you cited in your harsh letter to the JW probably apply more to individuals that to states, but people can disagree about that and hopefully not hate each other.
I’m with you. I am glad that we have a number of social programs that do good, like social security, and I also wrote that governments can and should do more. Maybe we’re more friend than foe. I’d like to think so.
What LoudlySublime said.
That’s a good one, Brian. And here’s another truth:
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” –John Kenneth Galbraith
Georgis – your comments in this thread may not have explicitly supported Trump’s policies, but drawing on your comments from other threads, I know that you do and, at least here at W&T, you have defended the morality of voting for him. That’s nice you think governments should support the poor and maybe even pay for surgery, but I doubt anyone you voted for has those priorities. The outcome of the conservative vote will lead to hunger, sickness, and fear. However much of that collective guilt you want to take on yourself is up to you, but I believe we will differ in our opinion of the responsibility of Trump’s voter base.
If we’re going to quibble about whether or not Jesus could have preached at government officials, I will point out that Jesus preached in synagogues, and told the religious leaders that they were whited sepulchres full of dead men’s bones and condemned them for being scrupulously righteous while widows and orphans went hungry. Perhaps he did aim some of his sermons at the day’s policy makers.
As for the eternal destination of people who voted for Trump, that isn’t my decision. My personal opinion is that no one will be blessed for voting to make people hungrier, sicker, and more afraid. Whatever reason Trump voters had for voting for him, that’s been the outcome of his presidency.
We are co-commenters at W&T. I will endeavor to be civil as we are both members of this community and I want it to remain a place where good discussions can happen. I appreciate you being polite. But we are not friends.
Janey, best wishes. Amazing that I can support the right and morality of people to vote for Trump, and therefore you assume that I voted for him. In 2024 I also supported the right and morality of people to vote for Harris, but I could hardly have voted for both in the same election. If you knew me more, you would know that I am very much a live-and-let-live person. I agree that Jesus preached at government officials in the synagogues, and his teaching can and should impact their votes, but I think it is true that most of his teaching was aimed at individuals (including politicians), for he made no broad public policy positions opposing slavery, allowing women to work and own land, or demanding empire-wide health care. I think that democracy works best when as many people as possible participate. If you’ve read others of my postings, you should have seen that I oppose attempts to criminalize abortion, and I have supported the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Those aren’t Trump platform planks. We also agree on government working smartly to improve society, including reducing poverty and improving access to health care. We probably agree more than we disagree. Again, best wishes, sincerely. Out here.
That the Romans controlled the government of Judaea is precisely true. The Herodians were allowed to rule only so long as they followed the wishes of their overlords, the Romans. Rome often allowed local aristocrats and religious leaders of conquered regions to “govern” so as to keep the locals calm. One might recall East Germany, where the USSR allowed some degree of local rule so long as it followed the orders and policies of Moscow. Kind of like Isengard and Mordor.
No moral person could vote for tRUMP. Voting for tRUMP is the sign that one is NOT a moral person.
“We did not know that our Jewish neighbors were taken to death camps. However, we were able to purchase their Steinway for a pittance. As for Kristallnacht and the Nuremberg laws? We averted our eyes because Adolf got the trains to run on time. No. Wait. That was Il Duce. But, anyway<\, we're good moral people who DGAF.
To the individual Christians who loudly assert that Jesus doesn’t force you to help the naked, hungry, needy, sick, immigrants, & prisoners (ie, by your required taxes to the government), may I quote Matt 25:31-32
“31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
“32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:”
He is condemning NATIONS with greedy policy. So voting for heartless policy is sus. Not to the same level as the deceptive policy makers and legislators, though.